r*      * 

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UC-NRLF 


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if 


A  Story  About  A 
Little  Good  Boy 

1795 


o 


GENERAL  PELEG  WADSWORTH 

J748-I829 


STORY 

A  so  to 

LITTLE    GOOD    BOY 

How  he  became  a  great  man  and 
had   little   good   boys  of  his  own 


Gen.  Peleg  Wadsworth  defending  hi*  home 
(From  an  old  print) 


PORTLAND,  MAINE 
1903 


E  Lol 
\\t  (  *&.  w 


Copyright    1903  by 
LUCIA  WADSWORTH  LONGFELLOW 

Portland,  Maine 


Privately  Printed 

at  the  Press  of 
Lefavor-Tower  Company 


TO  THE  READER. 


Ninety-six  years  ago  this  story  was  written  in 
the  city  of  Philadelphia  for  some  little  boys  in 
Portland,  Maine* 

The  story  is  autobiographical*  Through  its 
unconscious  revelation  we  learn  how  Peleg  Wads- 
worth,  its  writer,  grew  up  to  be  a  man  of  heart 
and  courage  and  charming  personality* 

In  the  story,  we  know  him  more  particularly 
as  the  "  Little  Good  Boys, "  devoted  and  admon 
ishing  Papa*  In  his  private  history,  we  know 
him  as  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College,  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution,  a  member  of  Congress,  and  an 
honored  and  beloved  citizen  of  Portland,  where 
he  built  a  house,  spoken  of  at  the  present  time  as 
the  "  Wadsworth-Longfellow  House/'  whose 
rooms,  the  favorite  shrine  to-day  of  pilgrims 
passing  through  the  town,  are  filled  with  treas 
ures  of  a  bygone  age,  and  overflow  with  dear 
memories  and  old  associations* 

Of  the  personal  appearance  of  Peleg  Wads- 
worth,  gentleman  and  soldier,  we  have  the 

iii 

M168507 


following  word  picture,  found  in  a  letter  from  his 
daughter  Zilpah : 

44  Imagine  to  yourself  a  man  of  middle  age,  well  propor- 
tinedt  with  a  military  air,  and  who  carries  himself  so  truly, 
that  many  thought  him  tall*  His  dress,  a  light  scarlet  coat, 
buff  small  clothes  and  vest,  full  ruffles  over  the  hands,  white 
stockings,  shoes  with  silver  buckles,  white  cravat  bow  in 
front,  hair  well  powdered  and  tied  behind  in  a  club,  so  called." 

Let  us  add  to  this  picture  a  three  cornered 
black  felt  hat,  which  among  other  family  relics 
may  still  be  seen  in  the  old  house* 

Of  the  character  of  Peleg  Wadsworth,  surely 
there  can  be  no  more  complete  summary  than 
that  briefly  recorded  on  the  stone  which  marks 
his  grave: 

"  He  was  a  Patriot,  Philanthropist  and  Christian/' 

Of  his  high  thinking  and  feeling,  of  his  natu 
ral  grace  of  expression  these  few  chance  selections 
from  his  many  delightful  letters  are  best  able  to 
testify. 

In  the  first,  a  letter  to  his  wife,  we  obtain  a 
pleasant  knowledge  of  his  affectionate  intercourse 
with  his  family* 

"Philadelphia,  24th  Jan'y.  J799 

Not  a  line,  my  love,  have  I  to  acknowledge  this  morning 
from  any  of  my  dear  family.  I  know  it  is  not  because  I 
have  lost  their  love,  but  I  suppose  it  is  because  they  are  agree 
ably  engaged  some  other  way  amongst  themselves.  This  is 
not  an  unpleasing  idea  to  me  for  I  delight  in  their  enjoyment. 


IV 


I  hope  John  and  the  sisters  will  not  cease  to  engage  the 
attention  of  the  little  boys  to  something  that  may  be  useful 
and  improving  The  behaviour  of  the  little  ones  of  a  family 
very  much  depends  upon  the  attention  paid  them  by  the  great 
ones.  I  promise  myself  that  my  little  ones  will  not  suffer  by 
the  neglect  of  their  elder  brothers  and  sisters,  but  that  they 
will  at  all  times  concur  and  cooperate  with  their  Mama  in 
rearing  the  little  branches 

In  about  a  month  after  this  reaches  you,  my  dear,  I  hope 
to  be  with  you,  The  time  will  soon  be  past.  The  hours 
are  in  full  pursuit  of  those  that  have  gone  before,  and  are 
lessening  down  the  mass  of  time.  All  we  have  to  do,  my 
love,  is  to  improve  them  as  they  fly ;  to  seize  the  present  mo 
ment  and  to  do  with  a  good  will  all  we  find  to  do.  The 
past  is  gone ;  the  future  may  never  reach  us ;  neither  are 
now  in  existence  Tis  what  we  are  is  all  the  question.  One 
thing  be  assured  of  — 

I  am  your  very  affectionate  husband, 

P  Wadsworth. 
written  in  Philadelphia,  April  J6,  J800. 

In  a  letter  to  his  daughter  Zilpah,  replying  to 
one  which  contained  his  daughter's  confidences 
on  the  subject  of  a  rejected  suitort  he  says : 

44 1  believe,  my  dear,  that  love  is  an  involuntary  passion, 
that  it  is  an  essential  ingredient  in  matrimonial  happiness,  and 
that  that  voyage  ought  never  to  be  undertaken  without  a 
sufficient  stock  of  that  indispensable  article.  Unless  the  way 
is  lighted  by  that  ethereal  spark,  it  will  be  at  the  best  but  dark 
and  gloomy. 

This  passion  of  all  others  ought  to  be  treated  with  ingenu 
ity,  candor  and  tenderness,  for  it  is  a  spark  of  Deity ;  without 
it,  this  world  is  a  wilderness,  and  well  has  it  been  said  by 
Inspiration,  *'  Where  love  is  wanting,  all  is  wanting,  yet  how 
often  is  it  treated  the  very  reverse  and  instead  of  being  the 
great  source  of  happiness,  it  is  made  the  snare  and  bane  of 

You  will  perceive,  my  dear,  that  I  would  never  advise  a 


couple  to  enter  the  state  matrimonial,  where  there  was  not  a 
mutual  affection.  Till  that  shall  happen  to  any  or  all  of  my 
children,  I  shall  be  very  happy  to  have  their  company  in  my 
family  as  at  present,  and  I  will  try  to  make  them  as  good  and 
as  happy  as  I  can  "  -  -  -  - 

In  a  letter  to  his  wife,  written  in  "Washington, 
January,  J803,  we  find  a  liberality  of  thought 
in  regard  to  religion  quite  unusual  at  that  time* 

-  -  -  -  "  In  the  morning,  we  all  went  to  church  in  the  capitol  ? 
Dr.  Grant  our  chaplain,  gave  us  what  some  would  call  a 
Hell-fire  sermon  —  I  could  not  join  with  him  in  more  than 
half  he  uttered  and  yet  he  called  upon  me  to  believe  or  be 

d d.    Now  I  do  not  believe  that  my  faith  depends  upon 

my  will  although  we  are  apt  to  believe  or  think  we  believe 
what  we  wish  to  believe,  yet  unless  I  am  convinced  of  the 
truth  of  a  fact,  how  can  I  believe  it  to  be  so  ?  -  -  -  -  The  God 
whom  I  have  heard  preached  to  day  was  a  vindictive  God, 
very  different  from  my  God,  However  I  have  charity  for  the 
preacher  and  have  no  doubt  he  has  been  preaching  what  he 
believed  to  be  the  word  of  God  But  then  I  must  claim  the 

same  liberty  which  he  has  taken,  to  judge  for  myself 

I  ever  wish  to  instill  into  the  minds  of  my  family  the  principles 
of  benevolence,  justice  and  good  morality,  that  is  a  love  to 
God  and  love  to  man,  and  with  these  they  shall  have  the  lib 
erty  to  chose  their  own  mode  of  putting  them  into  practice/' 

The  Portland  house  was  built  ten  years  before 
the  writing  of  the  story  to  the  "  little  good 
boys/' 

It  has  generous  rooms  of  fine  proportions,  and 
a  broad  stairway,  whose  low  steps  were  especially 
designed  for  the  comfort  of  the  mistress  of  the 
mansion.  The  many  windows  face  on  the  front 


VI 


toward  the  sea  and  on  the  back,  across  a  long 
garden  toward  distant  hills  and  the  sunset*  But 
that  was  in  the  days  when  the  house  was  sur 
rounded  by  green  fields*  The  town  has  crept 
about  it  now,  and  it  looks  upon  a  busy  street* 
In  the  rear  there  still  remains  a  suggestion  of  the 
old  garden  with  its  elm  trees  and  syringas  and 
lilacs,  and  from  the  western  windows  one  has  a 
glimpse  of  the  sunset  sky* 

An  historic  house  in  the  midst  of  the  pleasant 
town,  it  bears  witness  silently  but  with  gentle 
eloquence,  to  the  underlying  principles  of  good 
building,  principles,  which  the  illustrious  grand 
son  of  Peleg  Wadsworth  later  expressed  in  song* 

Build  to-day  then  strong  and  true, 
With  a  firm  and  ample  base. 
And  ascending  and  secure 
Shall  to-morrow  find  its  place. 

It  was  to  the  first  children  of  this  house,  the 
Wadsworth  children,  one  of  whom  in  after  years 
became  the  mother  of  the  poet  Henry  Wads- 
worth  Longfellow,  that  this  story,  with  its  divi 
sion  into  fifteen  little  volumes,  was  written,  and 
sent  week  by  week  in  as  many  letters* 

Fifteen  little  volumes,  each  of  a  single  chapter, 
containing  a  most  varied  and  entertaining  nar 
ration  of  an  old  time  childhood,  boyhood  and 


VII 


manhood!  The  original  manuscript  is  now 
the  cherished  possession  of  a  granddaughter, 
Mrs*  Lusannah  Wadsworth  Hubbard  of  Hiram, 
Me* 

One  of  the  concluding  chapters  gives  a  descrip 
tion  of  the  writer's  capture  during  a  period  of 
military  duty  on  the  coast  of  Maine*  An  inter 
esting  supplement  to  this  account  may  be  found 
in  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by 
General  Wadsworth  to  his  wife,  after  he  was 
taken  prisoner  at  Thomaston* 

Bagaduce.  Fort  George  19th  of  Feb.  J781. 

It  is  with  supreme  gratitude,  my  dear  Betsey,  that  I  ac 
knowledge  the  preservation  of  my  sweet  family  in  the  late 
hostile  conflict.  I  recall  to  have  seen  my  whole  Family,  ex 
cepting  my  Little  Charles,  for  whom  I  am  under  much  appre 
hension,  knowing  that  his  Zeal  and  activity  is  such  that  he 
would  certainly  have  come  to  his  Father's  aid,  had  he  been 
awake,  altho  but  five  years  old.  Heaven  grant  that  the  dear 
boy  may  be  safe.  I  am  extremely  afflicted  at  the  idea  of 
your  situation.  The  windows  dashed,  the  Doors  broken,  the 
House  torn  to  pieces  and  Blood  and  Slaughter  around,  You 
without  help  —  without  your  Bosom  Companion. 

After  I  left  you  I  was  conducted  to  the  gigg,  then  taken  on 
Board  a  Small  Privateer  commanded  by  Mr.  Lang  and 
landed  at  Bagaduce  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day.  On 
my  passage  and  since  my  arrival  I  have  received  the  great 
est  Civility  and  am  treated  according  to  my  rank.  My 
Wound  is  as  fair  as  possible,  it  being  with  a  Musket  Ball 
passing  through  my  left  arm  just  above  the  Elbow,  touching 
the  Bone  without  fracturing  it 

The  enemy's  Party  consisted  of  fifteen  men,  two  of  which 
were  badly  wounded,  besides  the  one  left  at  Mr.  Fales,  who 


Viil 


if  living  I  desire  may  have  good  care  taken  of  him,  as  also 

old  Hickey,  who  lay  -wounded  in  the  kitchen 

I  pray  you  would  send  me  by  the  bearer  four  shirts,  2  pair 
Breeches   a   Westcot,  Coat,  Stockings,  Buckles,   Stock,  and 
Hanger  and  Waist  Belt,  with  an  account  of  your  situation  -  - 
My  best  wishes  attend  my  sweet  Family. 

Adieu 

P  Wadsworth. 
Mrs*  Wadsworth. 

Long  departed  is  the  hero  of  this  story,  and 
the  beautiful  young  lady  his  wife*  Long  silent 
are  the  "  little  good  boys  "  for  whom  the  story 
was  written,  and  the  lovely  young  girls,  who 
were  their  sisters,  yet  they  seem  to  breathe  and 
speak  again,  to  go  in  and  out  of  the  rooms  of  the 
old  house,  and  to  watch  from  its  windows  for 
the  coming  of  the  post  with  the  eagerly  expected 
letters,  as  with  ever  increasing  delight  we  read 
the  pages  of  these  fifteen  briefest  of  volumes, 
sent  from  Philadelphia  to  Portland,  some  hun 
dred  years  ago* 

HARRIET  LEWIS  BRADLEY. 

96  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York* 
April,  J903. 


CHARACTERS  IN  THE  STORY. 


PARENTS  OF  "LITTLE  BOY  P."    Deacon  Peleg  and 

Lusanna  Sampson  Wadsworth. 
"  LITTLE  BOY  P."    Peleg  Wadsworth,  writer  of  the  story, 

born  in  Duxbury,  Mass.,  1748.    Died  in  Hiram, 

Maine,  1829. 
"  THE  BEAUTIFUL  YOUNG  LADY  ».    Elizabeth  Bart- 

lett,  born  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  1753.    Married 

to  Peleg  Wadsworth  in  1772.    Died  in  Hiram, 

Maine,  1825. 

U.    URIAH,  brother  of  "  Little  Boy  P." 
L. 


c    .UNKNOWN  PLAYMATES. 

O.    j 

DOCTOR  DEANE, 
ESQUIRE  FROTHINGHAM, 
ESQUIRE  FREEMAN, 
MR.  MERCHANT  STORER, 
MR.  PRINTER  WAIT, 
GENL  L.    General  Solomon  Lovell. 

OLD  HICKEY.    Soldier  and  afterward  life  long  dependant 
of  General  Wadsworth. 


CHILDREN  OF  GENERAL  PELEG  WADSWORTH 
AND  ELIZABETH  HIS  WIFE. 

A.    ALEXANDER,  J774-J775,  the  little  boy  who  died  in 

camp  at  Dorchester* 

CHARLES.    Charles  Lee  Wadsworth,  J776-J848. 
SISTER    ZILPAH.     The    oldest    daughter,    J778-J85J, 

mother  of  the  poet  Longfellow* 
SISTER  B.     The  second  daughter*   Elizabeth  or    Betsy, 

sometimes  called  "  little  girl  E  ",  1779-J802. 
JACK*      John    Wadsworth,    J78J-J880,    an    accomplished 

scholar  and  linguist. 

LUCIA*    The  third  daughter,  J783-J864* 
HARRY*    Lieut.  Henry  Wadswortfa,  U.  S.  A.,  J785-J804, 

killed  before  Tripoli. 
GEORGE.    1788-18J6. 
ALEXANDER  Scammel.    1790-1854.    Commodore  in  the 

U.  S.  Navy. 
SAMUEL.    179M874. 
PELEG.     1793-J875.    A  General  in  the  Militia  of  Maine. 


STORY  ABOUT  A  LITTLE 
GOOD  BOY  HOW  HE  BE 
CAME  A  GREAT  MAN  AND 

HAD    LITTLE    GOOD    BOYS    OF 

HIS   OWN 

VOL.  I 

ONCE  there  was  a  little  Boy,  his  name  was 
P.*  &  he  had  a  little  Brother  whose  name  was 
U.f  but  U  was  not  so  big  as  P.  Those  two  little 
Boys,  P  &  U  lived  in  the  country.  Now  P  was 
a  pretty  good  little  Boy  sometimes,  &  he  was  a 
very  good  Boy  to  go  to  school  &  the  Master 
always  called  him  a  very  good  scholar,  tho  some 
folks  call'd  him  a  Rogue,  because  he  lookd  like 
a  Rogue  —  but  that  was  not  true  —  for  if  he  did 
look  like  a  rogue  that  did  not  make  him  one,  for 
he  always  said  his  prayers  night  &  morning  & 
did  not  swear  nor  speak  wicked  words  as  the 
Boys  did  L  &  S*  with  whom  P*  &  U  used  to 
play*  Now  L  &  S  were  two  cleaver  Boys  ( if 
they  had  not  used  such  bad  words  )  they  lived 

*Peleg*  tUrfafu 


a  little  off  of  P  &  U*  and  P  &  U  used  to  be 
naughty  sometimes  &  they  would  run  away  to 
Play  with  L  &  S*  to  get  Birds  Eggs,  without 
asking  their  Mama's  Leave*  who  was  often  much 
frighted  about  them  lest  they  should  be  lost  or 
fall  down  off  of  a  high  Tree  when  they  were 
getting  the  Eggs  out  of  the  poor  little  Birds  nest, 
&  kill  themselves  —  how  crewel  it  is  for  little 
Boys  to  get  away  the  poor  little  Birds  Eggs  when 
they  have  taken  so  much  pains  to  build  their 
Nests  &  taken  so  much  pleasure  in  laying  their 
Eggs  in  them  to  hatch  their  little  young  Birds ! 
Did  you  never  see  how  sorry  the  poor  little 
Birds  are  when  they  flutter  round  a  Boy  when 
they  think  He  is  going  to  get  their  Eggs  or  their 
young  ones?  They  seem  to  cry  &  take  on  as 
much  as  your  Mama  would  do  if  the  Indians 
were  going  to  catch  her  little  Boys  &  carry  them 
away*  But  as  I  was  going  to  say  P  was  a  pretty 
good  Boy  &  was  always  sorry  &  frighted  when 
he  heard  L  &  S  swear  so,  &  thot  that  He  would 
never  swear  himself  because  it  was  wicked  & 
would  make  God  angry  with  him,  but  yet  P  & 
U  loved  L  &  S  very  well  &  were  very  fond  of 
running  away  to  Play  with  them*  One  Evening 
when  it  was  warm  weather  all  four  Boys  P  & 
U  &  L  &  S  had  been  playing  out  in  the  Corn 
field  &  runing  &  hiding  amongst  the  high  Corn 
till  it  was  almost  dark  &  then  they  thot  they 
would  go  into  the  Stack  yard  where  there  was  a 
great  many  stacks  of  hay  &  play  there*  So  they 
all  went  &  run  round  the  hay  Stacks  a  spell  & 


that  did  not  do  much  hurt,  but  at  last  they 
boosted  one  another  up  upon  the  Stacks  of  hay 
which  was  naughty  because  it  wasted  the  Hay 
&  spoiled  the  Stacks  —  did  you  ever  see  a  Stack 
of  hay,  my  little  Boys  ?  This  Stack  yard  was 
close  to  P  &  U's  Papa's  house,  and  by  &  by 
when  all  the  Boys  were  on  the  top  of  the  Hay 
Stacks  ( I  don't  know  how  the  last  got  up  )  & 
it  was  pretty  dark,  &  they  were  hollowing 

The  End  of  the  first  Vol :  to  be  continued 
Philadelphia  J7  Jany  J795 


VOL.  II 

JUST  at  the  time  that  those  little  Boys  P  & 
U*  &  L  &  S»  were  all  on  the  Top  of  the  Hay 
Stack  hollowing  (as  I  said)  P  &  U's  Papa  *  came 
out  of  the  House  to  see  what  was  the  Noise  & 
when  he  found  all  the  little  Boys  on  the  top  of 
his  Hay  Stacks,  he  felt  very  angry  at  them  be 
cause  they  were  so  naughty  as  to  spoil  his 
Stacks*  &  He  came  softly  along  towards  the 
Stackyard  —  &  as  he  was  getting  over  the  fence 
the  little  Boys  spying  him,  jumpt  &  run ;  but  P 
&  IPs  Papa  catchd  three  of  them  and  gave  them 
a  good  whipping*  P  saw  his  papa  a  little  sooner 
than  the  rest,  but  was  not  able  to  make  it  known 
to  them ;  so  he  slipt  off  in  the  dark  rather  sooner 
than  they  so  as  to  escape  a  whipping*  &  ran  & 
got  into  the  house  where  there  was  a  great  deal 
of  Company,  before  his  Papa  —  by  &  by  his 
papa  came  to  the  door  &  calld  P*  P*  but  P  was 
by  this  time  got  into  bed  in  the  Bed  Room  with 
out  any  one  noticing  him,  altho  He  past  thro 
the  midst  of  them,  all  frighted  as  he  was  lest  he 
should  get  a  good  whiping  too,  for  he  knew 
what  was  to  pay  with  the  three  boys  that  were 
catch'd,  for  he  heard  them  cry  before  he  reached 
the  House*  So  P  laid  still  &  did  not  answer* 

*Deacon  Peleg  Wadsworth  of  Duxbury,  Mass.,  J  7 15-  \  774. 


This  I  think  was  naughty,  for  if  He  had  been 
naughty  &  his  Papa  called  him,  I  think  He 
should  have  answered  when  he  heard  his  papa 
call,  altho  he  had  got  a  whipping  by  it,  but  as  I 
was  saying,  P*  laid  still  &  his  papa  came  in  & 
sat  down  with  the  Company  &  went  to  talking 
as  if  nothing  had  happened,  &  glad  was  P*  by 
&  by  when  U  had  done  crying  he  came  creeping 
into  the  bed  Room  to  go  to  bed  too,  &  there  he 
found  P.  &  he  did  not  know  but  P.  had  had  a 
whipping  as  well  as  himself  —  &  he  says  P* 
have  you  had  any  supper  ?  P  said  no  he  did 
not  want  any  &  told  U  that  he  had  better  come 
to  bed  without  his,  as  there  was  Company  &  if 
he  was  hungry  in  the  Morng  when  he  waked, 
he  could  get  up  &  get  a  good  Crust*  So  U  went 
to  bed  &  both  went  to  sleep*  Their  Mama*, 
before  she  went  to  bed,  after  the  Company  was 
gone,  asked  where  the  little  Boys  were  that  they 
did  not  come  to  their  supper*  Somebody  looked 
into  the  bed  room  &  said  they  were  both  abed  & 
fast  asleep  She  wondered  when  they  went  to 
bed  &  why  they  went  without  their  supper* 
The  next  morning  P's  papa  was  not  angry,  & 
said  if  He  had  catch'd  Him  last  Night  he  should 
have  whiped  him  because  he  was  very  naughty 
to  tear  his  Hay  Stacks  to  pieces*  P  told  his 
Papa  he  was  very  sorry  &  would  not  do  so 
again,  &  so  his  Papa  forgave  him  &  they  (P  & 
U)  were  both  very  good  Boys  for  a  long  time 

*  Lusanna  (Sampson)  Wads  worth. 


after*  They  did  not  get  up  on  the  Hay  Stacks 
again,  nor  run  among  the  Corn  to  break  it 
down,  nor  run  away  to  rob  the  poor  birds  & 
frighten  their  Mama  —  but,  as  I  said,  they  were 
both  very  good;  P  because  he  had  escaped  a 
whipping  &  U  because  he  had  had  one* 

The  end  of  Vol.  IL  to  be  continued* 


VOL.  ni 

P*  was  a  very  good  Boy  generally  &  a  very 
good  Scholar  as  I  told  you,  and  as  he  grew 
bigger  he  began  to  go  to  the  Schools  that  were 
farther  off,  for  in  the  Country  they  do  not  have 
a  School  all  the  time  in  one  School  House  as 
they  do  in  Portland  but  when  they  have  kept 
School  long  enough  in  one  Place,  then  the  Mas 
ter  goes  to  another  place  &  keeps  there  to  teach 
other  folks'  little  Boys*  But  then  He  will  let 
those  little  Boys  that  are  very  good  come  to  his 
other  School  if  they  are  big  enough  to  walk  so 
far.  So  P  as  he  grew  bigger  &  bigger  went 
farther  &  farther  till  at  last  he  was  big  enough 
to  go  to  all  the  Schools  in  the  Town*  And  there 
was  four  Schools*  The  nearest  was  one  mile  off, 
one  was  two  miles,  one  was  three  Miles  &  one 
was  four  miles  off  —  I  suppose  you  think  that  it 
would  take  a  great  deal  of  time  for  a  little  Boy 
to  go  so  far  to  School  every  day  —  But  the  little 
Boy  was  now  grown  bigger  P*  was  grown  as 
big  as  Jack  *  &  tho  it  did  take  him  two  hours  to 
go  to  the  farthest  School  yet  he  did  not  loose  the 
time,  &  P  had  to  go  alone  too  —  for  his  little 
Brother  U  was  less  than  he  was,  &  was  not  big 
enough  to  go  so  f ar  &  L  &  S  did  not  love  their 

*  John  "Wadsworth* 


School  well  enough  to  take  so  much  pains  to  go 
to  school  but  had  rather  stay  at  home  to  play 
with  their  little  Boats  &  Vessels  in  the  little 
ponds  they  made  in  the  Brooks  by  damming 
them  up  &  going  a  birds  egging  in  the  summer 
&  playing  Ball  almost  all  the  time  —  tho  their 
papa  would  have  been  glad  they  should  have 
gone  to  school  all  the  time*  when  P  found  that 
He  had  to  go  so  far  alone,  he  did  not  much  care 
for  that,  for  he  knew  how  to  improve  the  long 
Walk  so  as  not  to  loose  the  time  —  He  would 
get  up  early  in  the  morning  &  while  his  Mama 
or  his  Sisters  were  getting  him  some  Bread  & 
milk  for  his  Breakfast,  P  was  combing  his  Hair 
&  washing  his  Face  &  hands  (for  P  was  a  very 
neat  Boy)  &  by  the  time  he  had  eat  his  Break 
fast  (for  he  did  not  wait  for  the  Family)  his 
Mama  would  give  him  some  Bread  &  Cheese  or 
something  else  that  was  good  to  put  into  his 
pocket  for  his  Dinner,  and  so  P  always  set  out 
very  early  to  go  so  far  to  school  —  As  soon  as 
he  was  going  on  alone  —  P  would  always  say 
his  Prayers  as  he  went  along  —  and  pray  God 
not  to  let  anything  hurt  him  as  he  was  going 
along  or  the  whole  day,  that  God  would  help 
him  to  learn  his  Lesson  well  —  that  he  might 
become  a  great  &  a  good  Man  —  As  I  said  P  al 
ways  began  his  walk  by  saying  his  Prayers  — 
tho  he  had  said  them  once  already  before  he  got 
out  of  bed  in  the  mprng.  After  P«  had  pray'd 
God  to  keep  him  safely  all  day,  he  always  took 
out  his  Book  &  began  to  learn  his  Lesson  by 

8 


heart  &  by  studying  as  he  went  along  he  fogrot 
to  be  tired  a  walking,  &  by  the  time  P  had  got 
to  the  School  House  he  had  got  a  good  long 
Lesson,  and  the  Master  would  wonder  how  P 
could  come  so  far  &  yet  get  so  good  a  Lesson* 
He  did  not  know  that  P  studied  his  Lesson 
walking,  till  he  told  him  of  it* 

End  of  the  HI  Vol :  to  be  continued 


VOL.  IV 

P  was  a  pretty  Scholar  as  I  told  you,  &  tho' 
he  knew  how  to  improve  his  time  very  well  in 
School  time  &  the  Master  was  very  fond  of  him 
yet  He,  Pt  was  as  fond  of  play  as  any  of  the 
Boys  at  noon  time  —  All  the  Boys  stay  at  the 
School  house  in  the  Country  at  noon  time  be 
cause  their  homes  are  too  far  off  to  go  home  at 
noon  &  so  they  all  carry  Something  to  eat  in 
their  Pocketts  &  when  they  have  eat  it  up,  then 
they  have  nothing  to  do  but  play  till  the  Master 
comes  in  the  Afternoon*  After  School  was  done 
at  night  P  had  a  great  way  to  walk  home,  but 
as  some  of  the  Boys  lived  his  way  he  was  not 
alone,  &  as  far  as  the  Boys  came  with  him  they 
were  merry  enough  ;  &  by  the  time  P  got  home 
it  was  almost  dark,  &  he  was  quite  hungry  &  a 
little  tired  too*  P  was  very  well  beloved  by 
every  Body  because  he  was  a  good  Boy  &  He 
was  now  grown  quite  a  large  Boy  &  so  Folks 
called  him  Master  P*  As  Master  P  was  so  fond 
of  his  School  his  papa  did  not  make  him  do  a 
great  deal  of  work,  but  let  him  go  to  School  al 
most  all  the  time,  &  bought  him  books  &  let 
him  learn  all  he  could*  In  a  year  or  two  Master 
P  had  grown  up  almost  as  big  as  Charles  *  & 

*  Charles  Lee  Wadsworth,  the  General's  eldest  son. 

JO 


had  learn'd  to  write  &  cypher,  &  english  Gram 
mar  &  Greek  &  Latin  &  was  so  good  a  Scholar 
that  his  Papa  let  him  go  to  College  —  The  Col 
lege  is  a  great  School  for  young  Gentlemen ;  & 
Master  P  was  now  a  young  Gent*  himself*  So 
now  we  will  call  him  Mister  P  —  now  what  do 
you  think  is  become  of  U  &  L  &  S*  why  I'll  tell 
you*  U  was  not  big  enough  to  go  so  fat  to 
School  along  with  P*  till  P  had  got  so  far  before 
him  that  he  could  not  overtake  him  &  he  had 
rather  stay  at  home  &  work  than  go  to  School 
&  L  &  S  did  not  love  their  School  at  all  when 
they  were  little  Boys*  &  now  altho  they  are  all 
grown  up  as  big  as  Mr  P*  yet  they  dont  look 
half  so  well*  nor  know  half  so  much  —  &  so  I 
believe  I  will  not  say  anything  more  about 
them, 

Mr  P  was  living  at  College  all  this  time  &  He 
liv'd  there  four  years*  A  young  Gentleman 
ought  to  learn  a  great  deal  to  live  at  College 
four  years*  And  then  he  went  home  again  to 
his  Papa's  House  to  live  in  the  Country  —  Soon 
after,  some  Gentlemen  wanted  Mr  P  to  go  to 
Town  *  to  keep  School  &  teach  their  little  Boys* 
So  now  Mr  P  has  become  a  Schoolmaster  him 
self  &  he  had  twenty  pretty  little  Boys  in  his 
School*  He  loved  them  all  very  well  &  the  lit 
tle  Boys  loved  their  Master*  Mr  P*  as  well  as  he 
did  them*  &  PH  tell  you  how  &  what  he  taught 
them,  that  made  their  School  such  good  fun  to 

*  Plymouth,  Mass. 

U 


the  little  Boys  &  so  agreeable  to  their  Master* 
For,  as  I  have  just  told  you,  they  were  very  fond 
of  one  another  —  The  little  Boys  were  all  Gentle 
men's  sons  &  they  were  all  well  dress'd  with  good 
Cloths  &  were  well  bred,  for  they  behaved  very 
well  indeed*  the  biggest  of  them  was  about  as 
big  as  Harry  t  &  the  least  of  them  about  as  big 
as  George  t*  In  the  next  Volume  I  will  tell  you 
how  the  School  was  kept  that  made  it  such  good 
fun  for  the  little  Boys  to  go  there* 

t  Henry  Wadsworth  and  George  Wadsworth,  two  of  the 
little  boys  for  whom  the  story  was  written. 

End  of  the  IV  Vol :  to  be  continued 


VOL.  V 

MR,  P*  kept  his  School  of  twenty  little  Boys  in 
the  Court  House  in  the  Town  of  Plymouth  a 
great  way  off  of  Portland*  There  was  a  nice 
large  room  made  in  one  End  of  the  Courthouse 
Floor  for  the  School  to  keep  in  &  when  the  little 
Boys  went  out  of  the  School  Room,  there  was  a 
fine  great  Floor  for  them  to  run  about  upon* 
But  I  am  going  to  tell  you  all  about  the  School 
—When  the  School  Bell  rung  in  the  morning  all 
the  little  Boys  come  running  to  the  School  nearly 
together*  &  then  they  attended  prayers.  For 
Mr*  P  always  went  to  prayer  with  the  little  Boys 
when  the  School  began  in  the  Morng  &  when  it 
was  done  at  night*  I  wonder  if  the  Schoolmas 
ters  in  Portland*  go  to  prayer  in  their  School* 
You  can  ask  Harry*  Well,  after  prayers  were 
over,  the  little  Boys  took  their  singing  Books  & 
sung  a  Hymn  or  an  Anthem  &  Mr  P  sung  with 
them ;  for  Mr  P  had  learned  all  his  little  Boys 
to  sing  most  beautifully  &  your  Papa  thinks 
that  he  will  learn  his  little  Boys  &  all  his  folks 
to  sing  Hymns*  &  Anthems  too*  when  He  comes 
home*  Should  you  like  to  learn  ?  Well  Mr  P's 
little  Boys  used  to  sing  beautifully  as  I  told  you — 
&  when  it  was  a  pleasant  morng  all  the  Folks 
would  stop  as  they  went  along  by  the  Court 
house  to  hear  them  sing*  &  they  all  said  they 


were  beautiful  little  Boys,  or  else  Mr*  P  could  not 
have  taught  them  so  well*  So  when  they  had 
done  singing  &  had  laid  away  their  singing 
Books,  they  all  took  their  Lesson  books  &  all  of 
them  began  to  read  at  once  about  as  loud  as  you 
have  read  to  your  Papa  or  mama.  This  to  be 
sure  made  a  mighty  buzzing*  Do  you  remem 
ber  what  a  noise  the  Bees  used  to  make  when 
they  were  swarming  &  flying  all  about  in  our 
Garden,  well  the  little  Boys  made  just  such  a 
Buzzing  as  the  Bees  did  when  they  were  all  read 
ing  together*  But  no  matter  for  that,  every  one 
was  trying  to  get  his  Lesson  first.  As  soon  as 
they  had  read  over  their  Lessons  so  as  to  say 
them  —  They  were  all  hush  in  a  Minute.  And 
so  they  began  One  by  one  &  said  their  Lessons 
nicely  to  Mr  P.  &  then  some  went  to  writing  & 
some  to  cyphering  &  some  of  the  little  tiny  Ones 
began  to  get  another  Lesson  or  else  sat  quite  still 
in  their  Places.  &  they  did  not  read  loud  any 
more  that  time  &  they  did  not  whisper  at  all, 
for  Mr  P  did  not  like  it  if  they  whispered.  And 
sometimes  when  the  little  Boys  were  very  good 
Mr  P  would  let  them  all  go  out  into  the  Court 
house  Floor  to  play  a  little  while.  But  what 
pleased  the  little  Boys  the  most  of  all  was  Mr  P 
got  them  all  every  one  of  them  a  little  Gun  with 
a  Belt  &  tin  Bayonet.  You  have  seen  the  sol 
diers  in  Portland  &  you  know  how  their  Guns 
&  bayonets  look ;  well  they  looked  just  so.  & 
every  little  Boy  had  a  Gun  &  Bayonet  &  they 
had  two  little  Drums  a  little  bigger  than 

14 


George's,  &  so  when  the  school  was  done  at 
eleven  oClock,  Mr  P  would  exercise  the  little 
Boys  in  the  Courthouse  Floor*  And  he  made 
them  behave  very  well  &  they  look'd  just  like  a 
Company  of  little  pretty  soldiers,  for  all  they 
were  only  little  Boys,  they  could  march  &  handle 
their  little  Guns  most  beautifully  —  &  two  of 
them  could  drum  too,  &  so  they  would  go 
marching  &  druming  all  about  the  Courthouse 
Floor  when  Mr  P  told  them  to,  &  gave  them  the 
word  of  Command,  All  the  Gents,  in  the  town 
&  sometimes  the  Ladies  too  would  come  to  the 
Courthouse  when  the  School  was  done  to  see 
those  pretty  little  Boys  exercise,  &  they  were  all 
very  well  pleased,  &  the  little  Boys  too  &  so  was 
Mr  P*  I  will  tell  you  more  about  the  School  in 
the  next  Volume,  how  Mr  P  had  Knots  to  pin 
on  the  little  Boys  if  they  were  good  &  if  they 
were  naughty  too, 

End  of  Vol  V 
to  be  continued 


VOL.  VI 

YOUR  Papa  promised  you  a  story  about  the 
Knots.  Mr  P  had  three  Knots  pin<*  upon  each 
little  Boys  Name  one  was  red,  one  was  blue  & 
one  was  black,  thus 


O  «  9 

000 

9  O  O 

o  o  o 

000 

O  9  O 

wow 

O  O  O 

o  o  o 

o  o  o 

9  9  0 

O  O  O 

O  O  O 

o  o  o 

o  o  o 

000 

0  0  0 

000 

o  o  o 

o  o  o 

If  Mr  P's  little  Boys  had  been  very  good  all 
day,  &  had  learn'd  their  Books  &  behaved  very 
well,  then  He  pin<*  the  red  Knot  on  to  the  Collar 
of  their  Coat  when  they  went  out  of  School  after 
Prayers  at  night,  that  their  Papas  &  Mamas  & 
all  the  Folks  along  street  might  know  what  fine 
Boys  they  had  been,  &  if  they  had  not  been 
very  good  &  did  not  try  to  learn  their  Books 
very  much  &  did  not  behave  <vety  well,  then 
Mr.  P  put  on  a  blue  Knot,  &  then  everybody 
knew  they  had  not  been  very  good ;  but  if  they 
had  been  naughty,  then  came  the  black  Knot  — 


O  how  awfully  it  did  look !  Every  Body  knew 
they  had  been  naughty  Boys,  &  their  Papas  & 
Mamas  would  not  let  them  come  into  the  Parlor 
when  they  went  home  especially  if  there  was 
Company  there,  but  would  tell  them  to  go  away 
into  the  Kitchen,  for  they  did  not  like  to  have 
any  Boys  in  the  Parlour  but  those  that  had  red 
Knots  on*  The  little  Boys  if  they  happened 
sometimes  to  get  the  blue  Knot,  felt  a  little 
ashamed  because  they  did  not  have  the  red  one, 
&  they  were  not  taken  much  Notice  of;  but 
when  they  had  the  black  one  —  O  dear!  how 
sorry  &  ashamed  they  were*  They  used  to  go 
home  another  way,  for  they  were  ashamed  to 
be  seen  in  the  street,  and  nobody  would  speak 
to  them  without  it  was  to  say  —  there  goes  a 
naughty  little  Boy  with  a  black  Knot  —  He 
looks  as  if  he  had  been  crying*  But  if  a  little 
Boy  with  a  red  Knot  went  along  street,  He  was 
not  ashamed  for  everybody  knew  he  had  been 
very  good  because  he  had  a  red  Knot,  &  the 
Gent*  &  Ladies  would  often  call  them  &  give 
them  something  —  sometimes  they  would  give 
them  a  Book  &  sometimes  money  to  buy  them 
something  that  their  Mamas  were  willing  they 
should  buy  for  themselves,  a  Penknife,  or  a  Ball  or 
a  Top,  or  a  Batt,  or  some  pretty  Books  or  any 
thing  that  was  clever ;  for  their  Parents  as  well 
as  every  Body  always  loved  the  little  Boys  with 
red  Knots  and  did  everything  they  could  to 
make  them  glad  &  let  them  play  as  much  as 
they  pleased  at  proper  times,  for  People  all 

\1 


to  see  them  playing  because  they  were  so  very 
good*  These  little  Boys  never  swore  nor  called 
wicked  Words  when  they  were  at  play,  nor 
quarrelled,  for  if  they  did  then  they  would  have 
a  black  Knot  next  time ;  but  as  I  said  they  were 
always  very  good*  They  were  very  good  na- 
tured  to  one  another*  &  they  did  not  like  to 
have  any  naughty  boys  to  play  with  them* 
And  if  any  naughty  Boys  did  come,  &  sware  & 
call  wicked  Names  if  they  could  not  make  them 
go  away  they  would  go  away  themselves  & 
leave  them  —  &  they  could  always  do  that  you 
know  —  For  little  good  Boys  could  at  any  time 
run  home  &  leave  the  bad  boys  to  play  by 
themselves  &  that  is  much  better  than  to  stay  & 
play  with  them  &  hear  them  sware  &  quarrel, 
for  if  any  Gent*  or  Lady  was  to  see  a  little  Boy 
with  a  red  Knot  amongst  bad  boys  that  were 
swearing  &  quarrelling  they  would  think  that 
they  were  bad  too,  &  say,  may  be  they  will  have 
a  black  one  next  time* 

Seems  to  me,  your  Mama  might  have  Knots 
for  her  little  Boys*     Thus 


George 

0  ® 

Alexr 

9  9 

Samuel 

«  9 

Peleg 

®  o 

Q  9 

Bobs  !  there  is  one  too  many  But  Pa  —  there 
is  but  two  Knots  on  our  Names !  Where  is  the 
red  One  ?  Why  look  you  little  Rogues  is  it  not 
on  each  of  you — O  so  they  are,  Pa! 

End  of  VI  Vol. 
\  Feby  J795. 


VOL.  VII 

Phila.  5  Feby  1795. 

WHEN  Mr  P  had  kept  School  long  enough  He 
did  not  want  to  keep  any  longer  &  so  the  little 
Boys  Papas  got  another  Man  to  keep  school  in 
the  room  of  Mr  P*  but  they  did  not  love  him  so 
well  as  they  did  Mr  P*  because  he  did  not  love 
the  little  Boys  so  well  himself  as  Mr  P  did,  &  he 
did  not  exercise  them  with  their  little  Guns  as 
Mr  P  did,  nor  he  did  not  sing  with  them  &  he 
had  no  Knots*  But  if  any  of  them  were  naughty 
he  would  whip  them  &  if  they  were  good  he 
said  nothing  to  them  &  so  the  Gent*  &  Ladies 
as  they  went  along  street,  nor  their  Pa's  &  Ma's 
when  they  got  home,  did  not  know  whether 
their  little  Boys  had  been  good  or  not ;  for  they 
had  no  Knots  on*  The  little  Boys  were  very 
sorry  when  Mr  P*  went  away  &  they  all  cry'd 
when  He  told  them  he  had  done  keeping  their 
School,  &  Mr  P  was  sorry  too  &  he  could  not 
help  crying  a  little  himself  neither,  because  he 
loved  them  so  well* 

Mr  P  was  now  grown  up  quite  a  great  Man 
as  big  as  your  Papa  &  He  thot  it  was  time  to  do 
something  else  besides  keeping  School  so  as  to 
get  some  Money  to  build  himself  a  House,  for 
He  could  not  get  much  money  by  keeping 

19 


School,  if  He  could  he  would  rather  have  kept 
school  with  his  pretty  little  Boys  than  to  have 
left  off  —  But  as  I  told  you  He  could  not  get 
money  enough  to  build  a  house  by  keeping 
school  &  so  he  was  forced  to  leave  off  keeping  — 
For  Mr  P.  was  acquainted  with  a  very  beautiful 
young  Lady  *  where  he  kept  school  &  he  wanted 
her  to  go  &  live  him  &  he  ought  to  have  a 
House  you  know  to  live  in  for  they  could  not 
live  out  of  doors*  And  so  Mr  P.  went  a  little 
way  into  the  country  &  kept  a  shop  &  had  a 
great  many  things  to  sell  &  got  a  good  deal  of 
money  &  then  Mr  P  went  back  to  Plymouth 
where  he  had  been  keeping  school  to  see  his 
beautiful  young  Lady,  &  told  her  if  she  would 
be  married  to  him  &  would  go  &  live  with  him 
in  the  Country  &  help  him  keep  his  shop,  he 
guessed  they  should  soon  get  money  enough  to 
build  a  house  of  their  own  to  live  in  instead  of 
hiring  one.  As  I  told  you  she  was  a  very  beau 
tiful  young  Lady  &  she  was  very  good  too* 
And  so  she  said  she  would  go.  And  so  Mr*  P 
&  the  beautiful  young  Lady  were  married  to 
gether  &  went  to  live  in  the  Country  to  keep  his 
shop  —  And  they  got  a  good  deal  of  money  & 
had  a  beautiful  little  Boy,  his  Name  was  A.  t 
He  was  about  as  big  as  your  little  brother  Peleg. 
He  could  walk  &  run  about,  but  he  could  not 
talk,  only  say  Pa  &  Ma. 

*  Miss  Elizabeth  Bartlett  of  Plymouth. 
t  Alexander  Scammell  Wadsworth. 

20 


So  Mr  P  &  his  beautiful  Wife  were  living  in 
the  Country  with  their  sweet  little  Boy  &  getting 
a  good  deal  of  money ;  &  were  riding  about  in 
the  Country  when  they  were  a  mind  to,  &  were 
very  happy  &  lived  sweetly  together  —  when  a 
great  many  wicked  Men  came  in  Vessels  acrost 
the  Sea  to  fight  &  kill  all  the  Folks,  &  so  Mr 
P  was  obliged  to  leave  his  beautiful  wife  &  sweet 
little  Boy  to  go  along  with  a  great  many  other 
Folks  to  fight  the  wicked  Men  that  were  come 
over  the  Sea  in  Vessels  to  kill  all  the  good  folks 
—  Mr  P  was  a  Captain,  &  had  a  Company  of 
Soldiers  like  Capt*  Weeks  or  Capt*  Davis  or  Capt 
McLellan  &  they  had  guns  &  Bayonets  that 
would  shoot  —  they  were  not  little  wooden 
Guns  &  tin  bayonets,  such  as  his  little  Boys  had 
in  school.  Mr  P  was  very  sorry  to  go  away  & 
leave  his  beautiful  wife  &  his  sweet  little  Boy 
but  he  was  forced  to  go  &  fight  the  wicked  men 
or  else  they  would  come  &  kill  him  &  his  wife 
&  his  little  boy  too  — And  so  Capt  P  (for  Mr  P 
is  now  got  to  be  Captain  P)  march'd  off  with  his 
Company  of  Soldiers  to  fight  the  wicked  Men 
that  had  come  to  kill  all  the  good  Folks  —  And 
there  was  a  great  many  Capts  besides  Capt  P 
with  their  Companies  —  more  than  a  hundred  — 
so  many  that  I  guess  they  will  beat  the  wicked 
Men  &  kill  some  &  make  the  rest  go  back 
again* 


VOL.  VIII 

WHEN  Capt*  P  had  been  gone  to  fight  the 
wicked  Men  a  great  while  &  had  gone  a  great 
way  off  —  He  wanted  to  see  his  beautiful  Wife 
&  his  sweet  little  Boy  very  much  indeed*  So 
Capt  P*  wrote  a  letter  to  her  &  asked  her  to 
come  &  see  him  &  bring  her  sweet  little  boy 
along  with  her,  &  so  she  did*  And  she  came 
pretty  near  to  where  all  the  Men  were  fight 
ing  ;  *  &  when  she  heard  the  Guns  a  firing,  she 
was  afraid  to  go  any  further  &  so  she  stopd  at  a 
nice  house  where  there  was  some  very  good 
Folks  lived ;  &  she  asked  them  if  they  would  let 
her  stay  there  a  little  while  with  her  little  Boy* 
And  they  said  they  would  —  for  as  I  told  you 
they  were  very  good  Folks*  Capt  P  soon  found 
out  they  were  there  &  He  came  riding  to  see 
them  as  fast  as  he  could  &  he  was  very  glad  in 
deed  to  see  his  beautiful  Wife  &  his  sweet  little 
Boy*  Capt  P  had  been  gone  so  long  that  his 
little  Boy  did  not  know  his  Pa  at  first*  And  so 
he  kept  looking  at  Capt  P*  &  winking  his  pretty 
Eyes  a  good  while.  At  last  he  remembered  his 
Papa  —  &  then  he  did  hug  him  &  kiss  him  & 
was  very  glad  he  had  found  his  Papa  again  for 
he  was  a  beautiful  little  Fellow*  He  did  not  cry 

*  Dorchester  Heights,  near  Boston* 

22 


at  all  unless  something  hurt  him  &  he  would 
mind  what  his  Pa  &  Ma  told  him  as  well  as  my 
little  Boys  do  their  Pa  &  Ma.  And  that  is  very 
well,  for  you  know  that  you  are  my  little  Boys 
&  you  always  mind  what  your  Pa  &  Ma  tell 
you,  I  suppose,  dont  you  ?  Well  he  was  just  as 
good  as  you  are,  &  he  would  sit  still  if  his  Pa  or 
Ma  bid  him ;  &  he  was  as  pretty  as  your  little 
Brother  is  &  you  know  I  told  you  his  Name  was 
A.  Capt  P's  beautiful  Wife  &  little  Boy  staid 
with  those  clever  Folks  a  good  while  &  Capt  P 
used  to  go  to  see  them  almost  all  the  time  when 
the  Enemy  (the  wicked  men  were  the  Enemy, 
as  sister  L*  will  tell  you)  were  not  fighting* 
And  sometimes  Capt  P  &  his  wife  would  take  a 
ride  &  leave  their  little  pretty  Boy  A  with  the 
good  nice  Folks  till  they  came  back  again,  &  he 
would  not  cry  if  they  did  leave  him ;  &  some 
times  they  would  carry  him  with  them,  &  then 
He  was  very  glad  &  would  point  &  laugh  at 
everything  he  saw  as  he  rode  along*  One  day 
as  Capt  P  &  his  Lady  rode  along  where  they 
could  see  the  Enemy,  they  fired  a  Cannon  at 
them.  You  know  what  a  Cannon  is,  it  is  such 
a  great  Gun  as  you  may  see  up  in  the  Fort  at 
Portland,  &  the  shot  was  as  big  as  your  Head 
&  heavier  than  you  could  lift  —  &  the  great 
large  shot  came  close  along  by  the  Horse  &  al 
most  like  to  have  cut  his  Legs  off,  but  it  did  not 
hurt  Capt  P  &  his  Wife  because  it  did  not  hit 

*  Lucia  Wadsworth. 

23 


them.  Capt  P's  Lady  was  a  little  scar'd  when 
she  knew  the  Cannon  was  fired  at  her  &  Capt 
P*  &  said  she  guess'd  they  had  better  ride  a  little 
faster  &  get  out  of  the  way  of  their  firing*  And 
Capt  P  thot  so  too,  for  he  had  no  notion  of  rid 
ing  with  his  beautiful  Lady  where  she  might 
get  kilPd  with  such  a  great  Shot,  nor  himself 
neither,  when  there  was  no  need  of  it*  And  so 
Capt  P  &  his  Lady  rode  on  a  little  faster  till  they 
got  out  of  the  way,  &  then  went  back  another 
road  to  their  sweet  little  Boy,  &  he  came  run 
ning  &  was  very  glad  to  see  them* 

EndofVobVm 


24 


VOL.  IX 

WHEN  Capt.  P's  Lady  &  sweet  little  Boy  had 
lived  with  those  good  nice  Folks  a  good  while  & 
was  making  a  charming  Visit  &  Capt  P  was  so 
happy  to  have  them  there  where  he  could  go  & 
see  them  almost  all  the  time  &  ride  &  walk  about 
with  them  in  the  Orchards  &  the  fields  &  the 
Gardens  &  the  Hills  their  sweet  little  Boy  was 
taken  sick*  He  cry'd  a  great  deal  &  they  knew 
he  was  sick  because  he  never  cry'd  when  he  was 
well,  &  at  last  he  was  quite  sick  indeed,  and 
Capt  P*  &  his  Lady  were  very  much  concern** 
for  their  sweet  little  Boy  &  so  was  all  the  good 
Folks  in  the  House.  And  it  was  a  Doctors  House 
where  Lady  P*  lived,  &  he  was  a  nice  good  Man, 
&  he  try'd  to  make  little  A.  well  again  but  he 
could  not.  And  Capt  P.  got  other  good  Doctors 
&  they  could  not  neither.  And  so  that  sweet 
little  Boy  grew  worse  &  worse  &  was  very  sick 
indeed.  Capt  P*  &  his  Wife  were  very  sorry  & 
try'd  all  they  could  to  make  their  dear  little  boy 
well  again  —  They  sat  up  with  him  all  Night 
&  did  not  leave  him  for  a  whole  week,  but  all 
would  not  do.  The  dear  little  Boy  kept  growing 
worse  &  worse  &  at  last  was  so  sick  that  he 
dy'd  —  O  dear  how  sorry  Capt  P.  &  his  Lady 
was !  Their  sweet  little  Boy  was  dead,  &  they 
had  no  little  Boy  to  play  with,  nor  to  hugh  & 

25 


kiss,  nor  to  play  about  them*  The  dear  little 
Boy  was  dead*  — 

And  so  Capt*  P's  soldiers  come,  &  after  the 
little  Boy  was  put  into  a  Coffin,  they  took  it  & 
carried  it  to  a  Burying  place  &  buried  it  up  in 
the  Ground,  just  as  they  do  in  Portland  when 
little  Boys  die,  &  Capt  P*  &  his  Lady  went  along 
with  the  soldiers  to  the  Grave  to  see  them  bury 
the  Coffin* 

Capt  P's  soldiers  were  all  very  sorry  too,  for 
they  had  seen  little  A,  along  with  his  Papa  & 
Mama  &  they  all  lov'd  him  dearly  for  He  was 
very  pretty  as  I  told  you  —  &  he  was  not  afraid 
to  go  with  them  anywhere  if  they  would  carry 
him  —  &  he  was  such  a  sweet  little  Boy  that 
everybody  loved  him  dearly  —  for  you  know  that 
every  body  always  loves  Good  Boys  —  O  dear, 
how  sorry  Capt  P  &  his  beautiful  wife  were  to  go 
back  to  the  House  where  the  good  nice  Folks 
lived,  without  any  little  Boy  to  come  running  to 
them  &  to  play  with  them  —  they  were  so  sorry 
they  did  not  know  what  to  do*  But  they  thot 
that  their  little  Boy  now  he  was  dead  was  gone 
to  the  good  Place*  You  know  that  all  good  Folks 
when  they  die,  &  good  little  Boys  &  good  little 
girls  too,  go  to  Heaven  —  Heaven  is  the  good 
Place  —  &  there  they  are  very  happy  &  they  are 
not  sick  any  more  &  they  dont  hurt  themselves, 
&  nothing  else  does  not  hurt  them  —  &  when 
their  Papas  &  Mamas  die,  if  they  are  good  they 
will  go  to  heaven  too  &  then  they  will  see  one 
another  again  &  be  all  happy  —  And  so  Capt  P* 

26 


&  his  beautiful  Lady  thot  that  their  sweet  little 
boy  was  gone  to  the  Good  place  to  wait  for  them  ; 
&  then  Lady  P.  did  not  cry  any  more  for  her 
little  Boy  —  only  a  little  —  sometimes — when 
she  could  not  help  it  —  Capt  P.  &  his  wife  were 
very  sober  indeed  &  after  Lady  P*  had  stayd  a 
little  longer  with  Capt  P*  she  wanted  to  go  back 
to  her  own  home  again  to  see  her  Mama  —  And 
so  Capt  P.  could  not  let  his  beautiful  Wife  go 
back  alone  without  her  little  Boy  &  so  he  went 
along  with  her ;  and  Capt  P*  paid  the  nice  good 
Doctor  for  letting  his  wife  live  in  his  House,  & 
they  did  not  live  with  him  any  longer*  And  so 
Capt  P.  &  his  Lady  went  back  to  Plymouth  a 
great  way  off  —  &  when  Lady  P's  mama  knew 
the  sweet  little  Boy  A*  was  dead,  she  cry'd  very 
much  &  so  did  all  the  Folks  that  knew  him* 
And  I  dont  wonder  if  they  did  —  do  you  ?  he 
was  such  a  sweet  little  Boy ! 

And  so  Capt  P.  staid  a  few  days  at  Plymouth 
with  his  beautiful  Wife  &  then  he  went  back 
again  to  his  Company  of  nice  soldiers*  And  they 
were  very  glad  to  see  Capt  P*  come  back  again, 
&  there  was  the  Drums  a  beating  &  the  fifes  a 
playing  &  the  bright  Guns  a  shining,  &  the  sol 
diers  a  marching  —  &  the  Enemy  a  Firing  the 
Cannon  —  but  they  did  not  kill  Capt  P*  nor  many 
of  his  nice  soldiers  — 

End  of  Vol :  EX 


27 


VOL.  X 

Phila.  J5  Feby  J795 

PRETTY  soon  after  Capt  P*  had  got  back 
again  to  the  Army,  (do  my  little  Boys  know  what 
an  Army  is  ?  An  Army  is  a  great  Many  Com 
panies  of  Soldiers  all  together,  as  many  as  would 
fill  up  all  the  street  from  Mr  Motleys  quite  down 
back  street* —  a  great  many  indeed  —  more  than 
ten  thousand  —  sometimes )  well  pretty  soon  after 
Capt  P.  had  got  back  to  the  Army  &  to  his  Sol 
diers —  then  He  was  a  Major  —  a  Major  is  a 
greater  Officer  than  a  Captain,  I  suppose  you 
know ;  if  you  dont  sister  Z.f  or  sister  B4  must 
tell  you*  So  now  I  shall  call  Capt  P*  Major  Pt 
because  he  is  got  to  be  Major  P*  At  first  he  was 
only  little  Boy  P*  then  he  was  Master  P*  &  then 
He  was  Mister  P*  &  then  He  was  Capt  P*  &  now 
He  is  Major  P*  just  so  all  little  Boys,  if  they  are 
very  good,  such  as  you  are,  will  soon  get  to  be 
great  Men  such  as  Major  P*  or  some  other  sort 
of  great  Men ;  such  as  Doctor  Deane,  Esquire 
Frothingham,  Esquire  Freeman,  or  Mr.  Printer 

*Now  Congress  Street  in  Portland,  Me.,  where  General 
Wadsworth's  house  still  stands,  rendered  doubly  noteworthy 
by  the  fame  of  his  grandson,  Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

tZilpah.  J  Betsey  —  nickname  for  Elizabeth. 

28 


Wait,  or  Mr*  Merchant  Storer*  or  some  such 
clever  Folks — and  that  you  know  is  a  great 
deal  better  than  to  be  like  some  dirty,  ragged, 
lazy  folks  that  we  see  in  the  streets  some  times 
&  sometimes  too  they  are  groggy  &  cant  walk 
straight  —  I  suppose  such  were  naughty  when 
they  were  little,  suppose  they  did  not  go  to  school 
very  much  but  had  rather  run  about  &  play  in 
the  streets  all  the  time,  &  were  dirty  &  ragged 
&  very  bad  Boys  —  And  their  Papa's  &  their 
Mama's  let  them  do  so  —  And  that  was  naughty 
too,  for  if  they  were  poor  folks  you  know  they 
could  send  their  little  Boys  &  Girls  to  school  for 
all  that  —  &  then  they  could  learn  &  be  as  good 
Children  as  if  they  were  not  poor  —  They  had 
no  need  to  be  naughty  because  they  were  poor 
you  know  —  But  as  I  was  saying,  all  little  Boys 
can  be  great  good  Men  when  they  grow  up,  if 
they  have  a  mind  to  —  Well  now  I  will  tell  you 
more  about  Major  P.  for  the  Enemy  did  not  kill 
him  tho  they  shot  at  him  a  great  many  times  & 
fired  their  Cannon  at  him  too,  but  they  could  not 
hit  him.  So  after  a  great  while,  Major  P  went  a 
great  way  farther  off  to  fight  more  of  the  Enemy, 
to  Rhode  Island*  Then  He  was  a  Colonel  & 
had  a  whole  Regiment  of  Soldiers  as  many  as 
Col  Cobb  has  sometimes,  when  you  have  seen 
him  marching  a  good  many  Companies  of  Sol 
diers  together  —  It  was  almost  a  street  full*  Well 
Col  P  had  as  many  soldiers  in  his  Regiment,  but 

*  Prominent  Citizens  of  Portland. 

29 


there  was  a  great  many  more  soldiers  besides  Col 
P's,  as  many  as  ten  thousand,  I  suppose*  There 
was  a  whole  Army  —  and  the  Enemy  came  to 
fight  them  and  they  fit  a  great  while,  almost  a 
whole  day,*  &  they  fired  a  great  many  Guns  & 
Cannon  at  each  other  and  killd  a  great  many 
Soldiers  on  both  sides  but  the  Enemy  got  the 
most  of  their  Soldiers  kill'd  —  some  of  Col  P's 
soldiers  got  kill'd  too,  but  they  did  not  hurt  Col 
P*  At  last  the  Enemy  were  forced  to  run  away 
or  else  they  would  all  have  got  killed*  Dont  you 
think  it  a  very  wicked  thing  for  soldiers  to  fight 
&  kill  one  another  so  ?  O  how  the  poor  Soldiers 
did  look  laying  all  about  the  Ground — some 
dead  &  some  were  not  quite  dead  &  could  speak, 
&  some  were  crying  out  because  they  had  got 
their  Legs  shot  off  &  some  their  Arms,  &  some 
had  got  bullets  shot  into  them  as  big  as  your 
Marbles,  &  were  almost  dying,  &  some  had  a 
Bayonet  run  into  them  &  made  great  Holes  & 
the  Blood  was  all  runing  out,  just  as  when  you 
little  Boys  bleed  sometimes  when  you  cut  your 
selves  very  bad,  only  a  great  deal  more  —  and 
almost  all  the  Ground  was  covered  with  blood* 
It  would  be  very  wicked  to  fight  with  the  Enemy 
&  kill  them,  if  they  were  good  Men  &  would 
not  come  to  kill  us ;  but  if  they  will  come  to  kill 
all  the  good  folks  &  all  their  Wives  &  the  little 
Children  too,  you  know  we  must  kill  them  or 
else  they  will  kill  us ;  that  is  the  reason  that  it  is 
not  wicked  to  kill  them* 

*  This  was  the  Battle  of  Rhode  Island. 

30 


VOL*  XI 

Phila*  J5  Feby  J795 

WHEN  Col  P*  had  done  fighting  with  the 
Enemy  at  Rhode  Island  &  all  that  were  not 
killed  run  away  as  I  told  you  before*  Then  He 
went  to  Plymouth  to  see  his  beautiful  Wife* 
And  now  He  had  got  another  pretty  little  Boy 
&  two  pretty  little  Girls  too.  they  were  all  sweet 
pretty*  The  little  Boys  name  was  C*  L*  and  one 
little  Girl  was  named  Z  &  the  other  E**  They 
were  beautiful  little  Children  as  ever  you  see* 
C*  L*  was  about  as  big  as  George*  &  he  could 
read  &  speak  his  Pieces  very  prettily  &  all  the 
Gent*  &  Ladies  were  very  much  pleased  to  hear 
him  speak  his  Pieces  &  they  said  he  was  a  very 
fine  little  Boy  —  I  dont  know  but  George  can 
speak  as  well  as  C*  L*  could ;  &  I  guess  Alexr* 
&  Saml*  will  speak  as  well  as  C*  L*  could,  very 
soon*  when  they  grow  as  big  as  George  is  now* 
Col  P  did  not  stay  long  at  Plymouth  with  his 
Wife  &  their  sweet  little  Children  before  He 
went  to  the  Eastward  a  great  way  off  to  fight 
the  Enemy  theref — Now  Col  P*  was  a  General— 
so  now  I  shall  call  him  Genl,  P*  —  GenI*  P*  went 

*  Charles  Lee.        Zilpah.        Elizabeth* 

t  This  was  the  ill-fated  Penobscot  Expedition. 

3J 


going  to  fight  the  Enemy  in  their  great  Fort, 
they  saw  a  great  many  large  ships  a  coming  —  & 
when  they  came  a  little  nearer  they  saw  they  were 
the  Enemy's  ships  all  full  of  Men*  And  so  now 
GenL  L.  &  GenL  P.  were  forced  to  run  away  or 
else  they  &  all  their  Soldiers  would  get  kill'd,  for 
the  Enemies  ships  were  larger  than  their  ships  & 
they  had  more  Men  too  —  And  as  soon  as  it  was 
dark  night  again  GenL  L.  &  GenL  P*  put  all 
their  soldiers  into  the  little  Boats  &  went  on 
board  their  own  Vessels  &  ships  again,  before 
the  enemy  knew  it.* 


*  The  most  creditable  part  of  the  inglorious  Penobscot  Ex 
pedition  is  said  to  have  been  the  retreat  which  was  conducted 
by  Genl.  Wadsworth. 


34 


CUPUCAtE 
VOL:  Xn 


Phita.  22  Feb  J795. 

AS  I  told  you  the  Enemys  ships  were  much 
larger  than  GenL  L*  &  GenL  P's*  &  they  had  a 
great  many  more  Men  too  &  so  GenL  L*  &  P. 
were  forced  to  run  away  &  put  their  Soldiers  on 
board  their  Vessels  when  it  was  night  —  As  soon 
as  it  was  morning  the  Enemy  with  their  Great 
Ships  full  of  Men  &  Great  Guns  had  got  close  to 
Genl  L,  &  P's  little  ships  &  they  were  forced  to 
sail  away  from  them  as  fast  as  they  could  - 
And  they  sail<*  up  a  river  *  &  the  Enemy  saifc* 
after  them  very  fast*  And  when  GenL  L*  & 
GenL  P*  had  got  to  the  End  of  the  River,  they 
let  all  their  soldiers  go  on  shore  into  the  Woods 
&  GenL  L*  &  P*  were  forced  to  set  fire  to  all 
their  own  ships  &  Vessels,  or  else  the  Enemy 
would  have  got  them  for  their  own*  And  that 
you  know  would  be  worse  than  to  burn  them, 
for  then  they  could  come  in  our  Vessels  to  kill 
the  good  Folks  you  know  And  so  all  Genl  L 
&  P's  fine  ships  &  Vessels  were  all  burnt  up  — 
O  dear  what  a  bad  sight,  to  see  so  many  good 
nice  Vessels  all  a  Burning  up  at  once,  to  keep 
the  Enemy  from  getting  them  for  their  own  — 

*ThePenofascot* 

35 


And  so  Genl  L  &  P  &  all  their  soldiers  that  were 
not  kiird  were  forced  to  run  into  the  woods  — 
And  a  great  many  of  them  got  lost  &  could  not 
find  the  way  towards  their  home  for  a  long  time 
Genl,  L*  got  lost  too  —  but  Genl.  P.  did  not  get 
lost  for  he  knew  the  way  &  he  got  a  good  many 
of  his  soldiers  along  with  him  too*  But  they  had 
no  victuals  to  eat.  And  that  was  very  bad  you 
know  for  the  poor  soldiers  that  were  lost  not  to 
have  anything  to  eat  &  be  lost  too  —  for  they 
would  starve  after  a  while,  they  would  be  so 
hungry  —  You  know  how  bad  it  feels  to  be  hun 
gry  dont  you  ?  But  then  you  can  go  to  your 
Mama  for  a  Piece  of  Bread  &  butter,  but  the 
poor  soldiers  that  were  lost  in  the  woods  had  not 
even  a  Crust  &  they  were  so  hungry  that  they 
were  forced  to  kill  the  Dogs  &  skin  them  & 
eat  them,  they  were  so  very  hungry.  There 
was  some  Boys  too  about  as  big  as  Jack  & 
Harry;  poor  poor  little  Fellows,  how  hungry 
they  must  be  to  be  a  whole  week  in  the  Woods 
with  out  anything  to  eat  but  a  little  piece  of  a 
Dog.  If  you  had  seen  them  I  dare  say  you  would 
have  given  them  all  your  own  Dinner,  &  have 
gone  without  yourself  till  supper  time,  rather 
than  they  should  be  so  hungry  &  starved.  But 
Genl  P.  as  I  told  you  knew  the  way  &  he  did  not 
get  lost  &  he  showed  his  soldiers  that  were  with 
him  which  way  to  go  —  &  so  He  &  his  soldiers 
got  to  where  there  was  some  good  Folks  lived 
the  next  day,  and  after  Genl.  P.  &  his  soldiers 
had  staid  there  a  week  or  two  &  had  found  a 


36 


good  many  of  the  soldiers  that  were  lost  & 
almost  starved,  Genl*  P.  went  home  to  see  his 
beautiful  wife  &  his  sweet  little  Children,  little 
C*  L*  &  Z*  &  E.  They  were  very  glad  to  see 
one  another  for  Genl  P's  wife  had  heard  that 
GenL  P*  &  all  his  soldiers  were  kill'd  by  the 
Enemy*  But  they  were  not*  Genl*  L*  was  lost 
for  a  great  while,  at  last  some  good  Indians  found 
him  in  the  Woods  &  gave  him  some  of  their 
Victuals  &  at  last  brot  him  to  his  home  —  When 
Genl*  P*  had  staid  along  with  his  Wife  &  his 
little  Children  a  little  while*  then  He  went  to  the 
Eastward  again  with  more  soldiers  to  keep  the 
Enemy  from  killing  the  good  Folks  that  lived 
there* — &  when  He  had  been  there  a  good 
while  He  wanted  his  beautiful  wife  should  come 
&  live  with  him  &  so  he  went  &  fetched  her  to 
stay  with  him,  because  there  was  no  enemy  very 
near  to  fight  with  them  —  if  there  had  been  you 
know,  it  may  be.  they  might  kill  her  too*  And 
he  fetched  his  little  Boy  C*  L*  &  his  little  girl  E* 
along  with  their  Mama  —  He  did  not  fetch  little 
Z,  she  staid  at  home  with  her  Grandmama  And 
so  now  Genl*  P*  had  no  other  General  with  him. 
but  he  had  his  soldiers.  &  he  had  his  beautiful 
wife  &  his  pretty  little  Boy  C*  L*  &  his  sweet 
pretty  little  girl  E* —  &  she  was  a  sweet  pretty 
little  Girl  indeed.  And  they  all  staid  at  the 


*He  was  appointed  Adjutant  General  by  the  State  of 
Massachusetts  and  in  (780  put  in  command  of  the  •whole 
coast  of  Maine. 


37 


Eastward  *  a  great  while  —  till  the  soldiers  all 
went  home  &  left  them,  because  they  had  staid 
as  long  as  they  said  they  would* 


*  At  Thomaston,  Maine. 

38 


VOL:  XIII 

Phila.  22  Fcby  J795  — 

AND  so  when  Genl  P's  soldiers  were  all  gone 
He  had  no  men  left  only  the  good  Folks  that 
lived  near  to  the  House  where  He  &  his  Lady 
&  his  little  Children  were*  It  was  Winter  now 
&  Genl*  P*  did  not  think  the  Enemy  would  ven 
ture  to  come  a  great  Way  to  fight  him  when  the 
snow  was  so  very  deep*  It  was  as  deep  as  Harry's 
head  &  nobody  could  go  about,  only  in  the  Path, 
because  the  snow  was  so  very  deep*  And  so 
some  of  the  Good  Men  that  lived  near  GenL  P* 
used  to  come  to  his  House  every  Night  &  bring 
their  Guns  so  as  to  fight  the  Enemy  if  they 
should  come  in  the  Night  to  kill  Genl*  P*  &  his 
Wife  &  his  pretty  little  Boy  &  Girl—  One 
night,*  &  it  was  a  very  cold  Night,  &  the  snow 
was  very  deep  as  I  told  you,  the  Enemy  came 
sure  enough*  And  they  fir'd  their  Guns  into 
the  Windows  &  Doors,  &  they  cut  with  their 
swords  &  broke  out  all  the  Windows  &  they 
broke  the  Doors  too,  &  got  into  all  the  House 
only  the  Room  where  Genl,  P.  &  his  Lady  was, 
&  they  broke  the  Windows  &  Doors  of  that  too 
&  they  kept  firing  their  Guns  into  the  room 
where  Genl  P  &  his  Lady  was  — &  his  Lady 

*  February  J8,  J781. 

39 


was  very  scared  &  did  scream,  whilst  GenL  P* 
was  firing  his  Gun  &  his  Pistols  at  them  &  by 
&  by  Lady  P.  run  out  of  the  Room  to  get  out 
of  the  Way  of  the  Guns  &  there  was  another 
young  Lady  in  the  other  Room  &  she  was 
screaming  too  because  she  thot  the  Enemy  would 
kill  us  all**  And  they  kept  firing  into  GenI  P's 
room  as  fast  as  they  could  fire  to  kill  him,  till  at 
last  they  shot  his  arm  thro  with  a  Bullet  &  then 
GenL  P.  could  not  fight  them  any  more  because 
he  could  not  fight  with  only  one  hand,  when 
t'other  was  shot*  And  then  GenL  P*—  told  them 
that  he  would  not  fight  them  any  more  then,  & 
so  he  opened  the  Door  &  let  them  come  into  the 
room*  And  as  soon  as  they  had  got  in  they  were 
going  to  kill  GenL  P,  because  he  had  fit  them  so 
much  &  had  shot  three  of  their  wicked  Men  — 
but  they  did  not  kill  him*  Only  He  was  almost 
dead  already;  for  they  had  shot  a  great  Hole 
thro  his  arm  &  the  Blood  run  out  as  much  as  it 
does  when  any  Body  sticks  a  great  knife  into  a 
Hogs  Neck  in  our  yard  when  they  go  to  kill  it* 
Well  just  so  the  Blood  run  out  of  GenL  P's  arm* 
And  the  Enemy  said  they  would  not  kill  GenL 
P  then,  but  they  would  carry  him  away  with 
them  —  &  so  they  helped  him  on  with  some 
clothes  &  took  a  Blanket  off  the  bed  to  put  over 
him  because  they  could  not  put  on  his  Coat 
because  of  his  arm  that  was  shot,  &  away  they 
carried  him  —  &  General  P's  Wife,  &  the  young 

*  This  is  the  first  and  only  lapse  from  the  third  person. 
40 


Lady  &  the  Maid,  with  the  sweet  little  Girl  E* 
in  her  arms  came  into  the  Room  just  as  they 
were  carrying  Genl.  P.  away  —  but  Genl*  P  did 
not  see  his  little  Boy  C  L,  &  he  thot  he  had 
been  kill'd  by  the  firing  of  so  many  Guns*  And 
Genl*  P*  could  not  speak  to  his  Wife  nor  any  of 
his  folks,  only  to  say  good  Bye,  for  they  took 
him  &  carried  him  right  away  —  &  left  the 
house  all  broke  to  pieces,  &  poor  old  Hickey,* 
he  was  shot  &  lay  upon  the  Floor,  &  the  house 
was  all  over  blood  &  there  was  Genl  P's  beauti 
ful  Wife  &  his  family  all  left  in  this  bad  situa 
tion  when  the  Weather  was  so  cold,  &  she  thot 
Her  husband  was  kill'd  too  (  Genl  P  was  her 
Husband  you  know  )  —  for  she  thot  he  would 
blead  all  his  Blood  out  &  be  dead  —  But  the  good 
folks  come  to  her  pretty  soon  &  helped  her  to 
mend  up  the  Windows  &  doors  &  made  up  a 

Sx)d  fire  &  made  the  House  warm  again*  But, 
dear,  her  Husband  was  carried  off  by  the 
Enemy  &  she  thot  He  would  die  of  his  wound 
&  she  should  never  see  him  again  and  his  little 
Children  would  never  see  their  Papa  again 
neither.  And  the  Enemy  carried  Genl  P*  to 
their  Fort  t  a  great  way  off  &  there  they  kept 
him  shut  up  for  a  great  while,  &  they  let  a  good 
doctor  come  to  see  him  &  dress  his  sore  Arm,  & 

*One  of  Genl.  Wadsworth's  soldiers  who  served  him 
faithfully  all  his  days. 

t  This  was  Fort  George,  at  Castine,  Maine,  then  known 
as  Bagaduce. 


at  last  it  got  well  again  —  And  after  a  great 
while  when  it  come  warm  weather  the  Enemy 
sent  little  Boat  to  Genl  P's  Lady  &  told  her  they 
would  let  her  come  &  see  Genl*  P.  if  she  had  a 
mind  to,  &  they  would  not  hurt  her —  &  so  she 
did  &  Genl*  P.  was  very  glad  indeed  to  see  his 
beautiful  Wife  —  &  so  was  she  glad  to  see  him 
too,  and  she  told  him  that  his  pretty  little  Boy 
C  L  was  not  kill'd  by  the  firing  as  GenL  P.  thot 
he  had  been  —  and  He  was  very  glad  indeed* 
When  Lady  P*  had  stay'd  a  few  days*  with 
Genl*  P*  the  Enemy  let  her  go  back  again,  but 
they  kept  Genl*  P  in  prison* 


*  Mrs.  Wadsworth  and  Mrs.  Fenno  stayed  ten  days  at  Fort 
George. 

42 


VOL:  XIV 

Phila.23Feb:  J795 

WHEN  Lady  P  went  back  again  to  her 
broken  House  where  GenL  P,  was  shot,  it  was 
good  warm  weather,  &  she  took  her  little  Boy 
C*  L*  &  her  little  Girl  E*  &  the  young  Lady  & 
the  Maid  &  went  to  her  own  home  at  Plymouth 
to  see  her  tother  little  Girl  Z*  that  was  left  with 
her  Grandmama  —  and  before  she  had  got  quite 
there  ( for  it  took  her  a  great  while  to  go  so  far ) 
GenL  P.  got  out  of  prison  &  run  away  from  the 
Enemy  &  overtook  his  beautiful  Wife  with  his 
sweet  little  Girl  E. —  just  before  they  had  got  to 
Plymouth  —  O  how  glad  they  all  were ! 

I  can  tell  my  little  Boys  a  great  long  story 
about  how  GenL  P.  got  away  from  the  Enemy, 
when  I  have  time  enough  —  It  is  a  very  good 
story  too,  &  it  is  a  certain  story  —  it  is  true  — 
but  I  cant  tell  it  to  you  now  —  but  if  you  are 
good  Boys  enough  —  may  be  I  will  write  it  in  a 
Book  sometime  or  other  — * 


*  Unfortunately  he  never  did  this,  but  when  Dr.  Timothy 
Dwight  visited  Portland  in  1796,  GenL  Wadsworth  gave  him 
by  word  of  mouth  a  full  account  of  his  capture  at  Thomas- 
ton  and  his  perilous  escape  from  the  enemy's  Fort  at  Castine, 
which  account  can  be  found  in  the  second  volume  of 
"Dwight's  Travels"  published  in  New  Haven,  J82J. 

43 


So  Genl  P  was  very  glad  to  find  his  Wife  & 
Family  again  &  they  all  went  to  Plymouth  to 
gether  &  the  Folks  were  all  very  glad  to  see 
them  too,  &  there  they  met  their  other  pretty  lit 
tle  Girl  Z*  with  her  Grandmama,  &  she  was 
very  pretty  too  &  they  all  livd  there  a  good 
while  &  were  very  happy  —  And  GenL  P.  did 
not  go  to  fight  the  Enemy  any  more  for  they  all 
went  away  to  their  Homes  &  did  not  want  to 
fight  any  more  —  &  so  the  War  was  done  —  if 
you  dont  know  what  the  War  is  Zilpah  must 
tell  you.  When  Genl  P  had  lived  at  Plymouth 
a  good  while  He  took  his  beautiful  Wife  &  all 
his  little  Boys  &  Girls  &  all  his  things  &  put 
them  on  board  a  Vessel  &  sail<*  away  to  Port 
land  with  them  all  —  And  there  Genl  P*  built  a 
House  *  &  lived  in  it  with  all  his  little  Boys  & 
Girls  &  his  Wife  too*  And  he  had  a  shop  & 
sold  a  great  many  things  &  got  a  good  lot  of 
Money  too ;  but  he  had  so  many  little  Boys  & 
Girls  to  buy  Victuals  &  Clothes  for,  that  it  took 
it  almost  all  away  again  —  but  he  had  enough 
for  them  tho  — 

When  GenL  P*  &  his  Lady  had  lived  at  Port 
land  a  good  while,  they  had  four  more  pretty  lit 
tle  Boys  —  their  Names  were  G*  &  A*  S*  &  S.  B* 
&  little  p«  &  they  were  all  very  good  little  Boys 
as  all  the  Gents*  &  Ladies  always  said  when 

*  This  house  was  donated  by  Mrs*  Anne  Longfellow 
Pierce  in  190J  to  the  Maine  Historical  Society  and  is  pre 
served  as  a  memorial  of  the  Wadsworth  and  Longfellow  fam 
ilies* 


44 


they  came  to  see  GenL  P.  &  his  Lady  —  And 
then  GenL  P,  went  to  Congress  —  just  as  your 
Papa  did.  And  then  He  went  home  again  to 
Portland  to  see  his  Lady  &  all  his  little  Boys  & 
Girls  &  He  was  very  glad  to  see  them  &  so  were 
they  glad  to  see  their  Papa  just  as  you  are  to  see 
your  Papa  when  he  comes  home  from  Congress 
—  Are  not  you  very  glad  to  see  him  ?  &  will 
you  not  be  very  good  boys  when  he  comes  ?  but 
I  think  that  my  little  Boys  are  very  good  all  the 
time  —  if  I  am  gone,  or  if  I  am  at  home  —  I 
know  they  mind  their  Mama  &  try  to  behave 
as  well  as  they  can  —  for  I  have  heard  that  my 
little  Boys  have  been  very  good  indeed  —  some 
times  —  since  I  have  been  gone  — 


45 


VOL:  XV 

Phila  22  Feby  1795 

AFTER  a  while  Genl  P,  went  to  Congress 
again  —  Genl  P  &  his  Lady  have  got  a  great 
many  Boys  &  Girls  by  this  time  I  guess,  let  us 
try  to  reckon  them  up  —  the  first  pretty  little 
Boy  A.  died.  The  next  was  C,  L,  &  then  there 
was  two  little  Girls  Z  &  E,  &  then  there  was 
another  little  Boy  &  he  was  nam'd  J,  &  then 
there  was  another  little  Girl  &  she  was  nam'd  L, 
&  then  there  was  H,  &  G,  &  A  S,  &  S  B,  & 
little  p,  and  that  makes  seven  Boys  &  three 
Girls  —  I  guess  some  of  them  are  grown  up 
almost  by  this  time,  Genl  P  &  his  wife  could 
not  have  so  many  little  Boys  &  Girls  all  at  Once ; 
because  some  of  the  oldest  would  be  grown  bigger 
—  I  guess  C  L  is  as  big  as  Charles  &  Z  is  as  big 
as  Zilpah  &  E  is  for  Eliza,  or  Betsey  &  J  is  for 
Jack,  L  for  Lucia  &  H  for  Harry  —  &  G  is  for 
George  &  A  S,  is  for  Alexr  S,  &  S  B  is  for  Saml 
B*  &  little  p  is  for  little  Peleg,  And  now  my 
pretty  little  Boys  do  any  of  you  know  who  Genl 
P  is.  He  lives  in  Portland  as  I  told  you. 
Do  you  know  Saml  who  Genl  P.  is  ? 
SamL  I  dont  know  who  tis  — 
Do  you  know  Alexr  who  Genl  P  is  ? 
I  don't  know  —  Pa, 


46 


44  O  (  says  George  )  it  is  our  Pa,  &  we  are  his 
little  boys !  &  there  is  Jack  &  Harry  &  Lucia  & 
all  the  rest  of  us !  &  here  is  pretty  little  p  too, 
a'nt  you,  Dear,  &  Ma  is  Gen.  P's  beautiful  wife, 
a'nt  you  Ma  ?  " 

Well  my  dear,  I  suppose  I  am,  do  you  love  me 
the  better  for  it?" 

(Alexander     Was  Little  Boy  P  our  Pa  ?  " 

George  "  Yes,  When  Little  Boy  P*  Had  grown 
a  little  bigger  then  he  was  Master  P.  &  then  he 
was  Mr*  P*  &  then  he  was  Capt*  P*  &  then  a 
Major  then  a  CoL  &  then  a  General  and  now  he 
is  our  Papa* 


47 


NOTES. 

The  cut  on  the  title  page  is  taken  from  a  little 
book,  now  tare,  entitled  "Military  Heroes  of 
America/*  kindly  lent  by  Mr*  Usher  W*  Cutts, 
of  Orange,  N.  J* 

The  following  letter  may  be  of  interest  to  the 
historians : 

Hiram  17th  July,  1827. 
Dear  Sir, 

Observing  your  advertisement  in  the  Columbian  Centinei 
of  Jlth Inst,  requesting  surviving  Officers  of  the  Revolution 
ary  army,  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts  &  of  Maine  to  for 
ward  to  you  their  rank  in  1780  &c.  In  compliance  I  have 
sketched  the  following  —  tho*  I  do  not  know  whether  I  come 
within  your  request,  as  I  was  not  of  the  Line  of  the  Continen 
tal  army  after  the  two  first  years  of  the  War  —  I  was  a 
Captain  in  Cottons  &  Baileys  Regt's  the  two  first  years  & 
was  Aid  De  Camp  to  Gen1  Ward  as  long  as  he  continued  in 
the  service,  which  I  believe  was  till  the  year  1777,  with  the 
rank  of  Major.  Afterwards,  I  was  in  the  continental  service 
(  as  it  was  called  )  under  the  appointment  of  the  Legislature 
of  Massachusetts  —  was  second  in  command  with  Gen1  Lov- 
ell  on  the  inglorious  Penobscot  Expedition,  1778,  with  the 
rank  of  Brigadier  Gen1  ;  the  next  year,  vis,  1779  had  the 
command  of  the  whole  coast  of  the  District  of  Maine,  by  the 
same  authority,  at  the  Close  of  which  or  rather  the  beginning 
of  1780, 1  was  taken  Prisoner  (  as  you  may  see  by  looking  at 
210  page  of  Rev*  Charles  A.  Goodriches  History  of  U.  S) 
After  that  I  was  not  in  Military  service.  I  was  32  years  Old 
when  appointed  a  Brigr  Gen1  by  the  Govr  &  Council  and 
lived  in  Boston  at  that  time,  mov'd  to  Portland  in  1784  &  to 
Hiram  in  1807,  where  I  now  reside  &  am  in  my  80th  year. 

48 


I  know  of  no  widows  of  the  Description  you  mention,  nor  do 
I  know  for  what  purpose  you  have  requested  the  above  — 
but  as  the  motive  is  no  doubt  benevolent,  I  cheerfully  sub 
scribe  myself  your  friend  and  serv*  — 

Peleg  Wadswortfa. 
Alden  Bradford,  Esq. 

A  Copy  — 


49 


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